Horn Book Review
A little city girl sets off with her family for a day in the country: they pick apples then head to Grandma's, where they make applesauce, learn about this generations-old family tradition, and share a delicious meal together. Pleasant if bland illustrations with soft colors and soft edges accompany a warmhearted and informative text. The book includes an applesauce recipe and facts about apples. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Family history reveals itself as applesauce is lovingly made from hand-picked fruit. Maria narrates the story of an annual family outing. Her white urban family packs their car with the large pot, symbol of this special day, in addition to their bushel baskets. First stop is the apple orchard, where everyone, including toddler Ezra, joins in the picking. Then it's on to Grandma's rural house. Grandma wears an old-fashioned apron over her jeans, and everyone else dons one, too. The preparations begin, using the big pot, while Mom reminisces about getting apples with Grandma at a farm stand "in their quiet Ohio town, and how they cooked them in this very pot when she was a little girl." Grandma talks about "how she helped her mother pick apples from the old apple tree behind their house on the windy Iowa prairie, and how they too cooked them in this pot when she was a little girl." Observant readers will notice the same aprons being worn for several generations as well. The action shifts back to today. "Crank! Squish! Crankity! Squish!" goes the food mill as Grandma helps Maria and younger sister Hannah prepare the apples once they are cooked. The exuberant, soft-edged paintings show a happy family working together, and the generational continuity lends an extra dimension to a simple story. Read this aloud to complement apple units or family trips to the orchard. (recipe, additional facts) (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
